In Control
by Tonight's The Night
Summary: Mai can appreciate the finer things in life, even if those things happen to come from an insignificant Earth Kingdom town. Jet/Mai. Oneshot.


In Control

Mai understood the finer things in life. As she turned the elegant dagger in her hands, she decided that weapons could be included among those fine things, even if said weapons came from an insignificant Earth Kingdom village.

"If you're busy, I can go look at clothes on my own," Ty Lee said, swaying on her tiptoes. Her wide eyes focused on Mai's face, begging for permission to leave. Mai didn't blame her; the acrobat preferred hand-to-hand combat, so the cozy weapons shop was largely uninteresting to her.

Mai sighed, knowing that a bored Ty Lee could quickly turn into an annoying Ty Lee. "Do whatever you want."

Ty Lee skittered off, the door slamming against its warped, wooden frame as she vanished down the path. Mai looked back toward the rack of knives she'd been studying, selecting a dagger with a tigerdillo-claw hilt. Her fingers traced the edge of the blade, testing its sharpness. Even the slightest pressure threatened to break the skin.

"You'll want to be careful with that," a new voice said. "It's pretty sharp."

Mai looked up, maintaining the same disinterested expression she always wore. A boy of about sixteen stood at the end of the aisle, running his fingers through his unkempt brown hair. A twig protruded from between his teeth, as if he'd randomly picked it off a tree branch and stuck it in his mouth to look cool.

And, if Mai was being entirely honest with herself, he'd succeeded.

"The best knives usually are," she said, turning the dagger so the candlelight reflected against the steel. "Sharp, that is."

"I prefer smooth, myself." The boy quirked an eyebrow, the twig dancing at the edge of his lips.

Mai allowed herself the faintest of smiles. "Is that how you pick up girls in your village?"

He took a step forward, back arching a few degrees, as if leaning on an invisible wall. He plucked the twig from his mouth, twirled it between his fingers, then popped it between his lips again. "Not usually," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Then how _do _you pick up girls?"

He must've seen the challenge in her eyes, because his smirk grew more pronounced. "Depends on the girl. On what she likes."

For the first time in months, Mai wanted to laugh. The impulse surprised her, and her smile widened the tiniest bit as she suppressed the urge. Self-control was imperative to her identity. She looked at the knife in her hand, spinning it around in a slow circle, the same way the boy had twirled that twig a moment ago. "And what do you suppose I like?" she asked, curious as to whether he'd make a remark about her interest in knives.

And his eyes did flicker to the knife, for a moment. She turned it again, watching his face as the metal reflected it.

"I would say you like . . . danger."

Her eyes darted to his face, then back to the knife. "Danger?"

From the corner of her eye, she saw the shopkeeper's wife pull him into the back room, a scowl on her face. Mai considered her options, heart pounding faster, harder. The instant the door closed, her hand snaked out, snatching the boy's wrist and whipping him around. He spun, losing his balance. By the time he regained his footing, she had him pressed him up against the wall, and was resting the point of the dagger against his throat.

"Very smooth, aren't you?" She leaned closer, looking him straight in the eye. Rather than the fear she'd expected, she saw a glimmer of excitement, a sort of crazed amusement at the thought of being injured.

She liked it more than she cared to admit.

"Smooth. I'd say that's pretty spot on."

"And cocky. But you're wrong. I don't like danger." She drew the knife across his throat, slicing the first few layers of skin. A thin line of red appeared where the knife touched his skin. "I like being in control."

His feverish expression intensified. "I like a girl who can take control."

This time, she didn't bother to hold back her smile. "You were right," she said silkily. "This knife _is _sharp."

"Glad to hear it. Wouldn't want the Earth Kingdom to fall because of shoddy weaponry."

_If only you knew, _she thought, sliding away from him and wiping the bloodied knife on the collar of his shirt. _If only you knew who I was, you wouldn't be enjoying this at all. _

"I think I'll buy this," she said, strolling to the counter as the shopkeeper returned. "As a memento of our time together."

The brown-haired boy grinned, leaning against the wall as if he'd moved there of his own volition. He was still lounging there when the door closed behind her.

After several minutes of wandering down the main path, she found Ty Lee hovering over a stack of pink clothes, a troubled look on her face. "Find anything interesting?" Mai asked.

"A bunch of stuff." Ty Lee pursed her lips, discarded a pink skirt, then scooped up the rest of the pile. "What about you?"

Mai held up the dagger she'd bought. "Yeah."

The acrobat finished paying for her clothes and dumped them in her shopping basket. "Great." They started down the rocky path, heading back to the base camp Azula had ordered them to set up. As they reached the outskirts of the village, Mai glanced back, just once. In the distance, she saw a brown-haired boy walking the opposite direction down the path, absently swinging a pair of hook-shaped swords through the air.

_Yes, _Mai thought, as Azula came into view. _I found something very interesting today. _


End file.
